Alain Jessua
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Biography
Former assistant to Max Ophuls and Marcel Carne who showed considerable directorial promise with his first two features. "Life Upside Down" (1964) was a wryly observed account of a man's withdrawal from reality into fantasy and "Comic Strip Hero" (1967) used trick photography to blend the real world with that of a strip cartoon; both were distinctive and imaginative films that presaged a bright career. In the following decades, however, Jessua's output has been minimal. His later works, like "En Toute innocence" (1988), are accomplished, if unexceptional, entertainments.
Filmography
Director (Feature Film)
Assistant Direction (Feature Film)
Cast (Feature Film)
Writer (Feature Film)
Producer (Feature Film)
Music (Feature Film)
Misc. Crew (Feature Film)
Life Events
1952
Feature debut as assistant director for Jacques Becker, "Casque d'or"
1956
Wrote and directed first short film, "Leon la lune"
1956
First worked in TV as an assistant on US productions shot in France and North Africa, including the series, "Flash Gordon"
1964
Feature directorial and screenwriting debut, "Life Upside Down/La Vie a l'Envers"; film starred Jessua's wife Anna Gaylor
1967
Appeared in a small role as a Vampire, also wrote and directed, "The Killing Game/Jeu de massacre"
1972
First credited for music, screenplay, adaptation, and direction, "Shock Treatment/Traitement de choc"
1982
Debut as producer (also director and screenwriter), "Paradise for All/Paradis pour tous"
Companions
